CORP-12-119 Chair Diamond and Members of the City of Os haw a's Corporate Services Committee: Mayor Henry, and Councillors Sanders, Wood, Bouma and Aker: Oshawa Animal Services' almost 50 percent kill rate was the catalyst for my presentation to the Corporate Services Committee on Jan. 19,2012. At that time, rimplored Members ofthe Corporate Services Committee to look at ways the Calgary Animal Services model could lead to positive change for Oshawa's animals and its community! Has there been any discussion in this regard? A follow-up meeting on Feb. 16 in Kevin Feagan's office, was attended by Linda Power, Lorraine Houston, and myself. Our "Saving Lives" agenda, focused on reducing the ~taggering OAS euthanasia rate by means ofan Oshawa Animal ServiceslRescue Partnership! To Mr. Feagan's credit, he suggested striking a Committee of interested Stakeholders, i.e., Representatives from Council, Rescues, and Members ofthe Community, to meet on a regular basis to plan and implement strategies for saving lives! Three ofcanaqa's top-notch rescuers, Lorraine Houston, Kathy Asling, and Denise Harkins collaborated with OASIs former Manager, Kathy Duncan for many years, to successfully re-home OAS dogs and cats. Houston, Asling, and Harkins are extremely anxious to reinstate their partnership with Oshawa Animal Services. They request the formation ofa Stakeholders Committee, which includes Ms. Asling, Ms. Harkins, and Ms. Houston, as well as Spay Neuter Initiatives Representative, Linda Power, immediately following Commissioner Stockman's Report "CORP-12-39 -Concerns Regarding Operations ofoshawa's Animal Services and Response" receiving approval by Council. Dog Rescue: Lorraine Houston has re-homed hundreds ofabandoned dogs 7
since 1976. She has worked as a shelter manager in Canada and the U.S., and as an Animal Control Inspector in New Jersey. She is an evaluator for Therapeutic Paws of Canada, and the Director of Speaking ofdogs, an organization dedicated to education, outreach and rescue which also publishes the Speaking ofdogs Directory (Ms. Houston screens rescues prior to inclusion in the directory) used by almost every shelter and SPCA in North America: http://speakingofdogs-rescuedirectory.blogspot.ca! Kathy Asling founded The Animal Guardian Society (TAGS) in 1987. For 25 years, the first Durham-based All-Breed Rescue and a Registered Charity has successfully re-homed thousands of dogs. Ms. Asling, and her corps ofvolunteers, work closely with ALL OTHER Durham-based animal shelters and humane societies, as well as the community. Her mantra: To see no animal put to death in municipally run shelters because they are overlooked or due to lack,of space. TAGS community education includes: Behavior Evaluation and Training, a Bite Prevention Program, and Humane Education. Cat Rescue: Denise Harkins, a 14-year resident of Oshawa, is President of Action Volunteers for Animals (A VA). Her efforts in association with AVA have earned her the title of "top cat rescuer" in Southern Ontario. Ms. Harkins oversees AVA's extensive budget. She also works with PetSmart Charities which last year gave her a $10,000 grant to spay and neuter the City of Os haw a's feral cats. This highly regarded rescue veteran has for the past 10 years worked behind the scenes, re-homing, spaying, neutering, vaccinating, vetting and lovingly caring for thousands of homeless cats in Oshawa and Durham. Ms. Harkins and A VA have saved OAS thousands ofdollars in veterinary fees, housing, and euthanasia! disposal costs. For those Members ofthe City of Oshawa's Corporate Services Committee who are unfamiliar with the rescue process, please see the attached addendum outlining Rescue Procedure. 8
We would be happy to answer any questions arising from~ the above. Very sincerely yours, Ariel Lang, Linda Power, Spay Neuter Initiatives tis. 14(1),.MunicipaIFreedom of InformatIOn and Protection Lorraine Houston, Speaking ofdogs \ l of Privacy Act Kathy Asling, The Animal Guardian Society Denise Harkins, Action Volunteers for Anim~ws Addendum next: 9
Addendum: Rescue Procedure for Dogs: a) There are "All Breed" and "Breed Only" rescues, as well as rescues that work only with a specific category ofdog. For example: Mature Dog Adoptions, a federal registered charity based in Kingston, has networked in Ontario on behalf of dogs four years and older, and special needs adult dogs, since 1997. There are also rescues for special medical needs and for palliative care; b) It is common practice for Shelters to transfer dogs that are older, special needs, continually passed-over, in need of medical attention, kennel stressed, have specific behavioral issues, and/or simply when the shelter is at capacity to Rescues, other shelters, and SPCA affiliates; c) A successful Shelter Manager will always have a number of "trusted" contacts on hand to help "his" animals in times ofneed, as well as an extended list ofreputable rescue organizations for specific types or breeds. Rescues rely on fosters for temporary housing during the re-homing process. Ifa specific Rescue is full, the Manager will often hold the dog temporarily until one ofthe Rescue's fosters becomes available and/or phone another trusted contact; d) The dog is placed in carefully screened and supervised foster care at the discretion ofthe Rescue which then becomes the guardian ofthe dog and assumes responsibility, including liability, for that dog upon its release by OAS. Reputable rescue organizations spay/neuter, vaccinate, and microchip prior to adoption, as well as vet-check and provide necessary medical care. Any conditions are fully disclosed to the adopter. 1 0
NB. Working with Rescue is a relationship based on trust. The Shelter Manager MUST place his trust his Rescues' judgement in foster placement. e) Rescues work in tandem "pulling" animals from shelters when an animal's life is at stake. A dog might be transferred by its home shelter or the rescuing shelter. The Rescue organization arranges for pick up ofits own rescues and informs the shelter ofthe name ofthe person allowed to pick up the dog. Ifthe shelter is unable to provide transport to an out-of -area shelter, a Rescue will often put out a call for screened volunteer "transport". (Sounds complex but it's not. It's done every day.) f) Reputable rescue organizations: observe and evaluate each dog to determine its best match in an adopter; promote the dog on websites and within rescue circles; have a meticulous screening process for adopters which includes a written adoption contract which requires return ofthe dog to the rescue organization at any time in the future. Also, important is the follow-up done following each adoption to help ensure a successful placement and a forever home. Rescuers who have relationships with Shelters often provide updates on the animals they have helped, reinforcing the benefits ofthe partnership. Rescue Procedure for Cats: a) There are a few "Breed" Rescues but the majority ofcat Rescues are "Mixed" Breed. The process is similar to that ofdogs with the exception ofadoption Centres, I.e., Pet Smart and PetValu which partner extensively with Cat Rescues and Shelters. b) It is common practice for Shelters to transfer cats that are older, special needs, continually passed-over, in need ofmedical attention, kennel stressed, have specific behavioral issues, and/or 11
simply when the shelter is at capacity to Rescues, other shelters, and SPCA affiliates; c) A successful Shelter Manager will always have a number of "trusted" contacts on hand to help "his" animals in times ofneed, as well as an extended list ofreputable rescue organizations for specific types or breeds. Rescues rely on fosters for temporary housing during the re-homing process. If a specific Rescue is full, the Manager will often hold the cat temporarily until one ofthe Rescue's fosters becomes available and/or phone another trusted contact; d) The cat is placed in carefully screened and supervised foster care and/or into an adoption centre at the discretion ofthe Rescue which then becomes the guardian ofthe cat and assumes responsibility, including liability, for that cat upon its release by ~AS. Reputable rescue organizations spay/neuter, vaccinate, and microchip prior to adoption, as well as vet-check and provide necessary medical care. Any conditions are fully disclosed to the adopter. NB. Working with Rescue is a relationship based on trust. The Shelter Manager MUSTplace his trust his Rescues' judgement in foster placement. e) Rescues work in tandem "pulling" animals from shelters when an animal's life is at stake. The Rescue organization arranges for pick up of its own rescues and informs the shelter ofthe name of the person allowed to pick up the cat. f) Reputable rescue organizations: observe and evaluate each cat to determine its best match in an adopter; promote the cat on websites and within rescue circles; have a meticulous screening process for adopters which includes a written adoption contract which requires return ofthe cat to the rescue organization at any time in the future. Also, important is the follow-up done following ~l 2
each adoption to help ensure a successful placement and a forever home. Rescuers who have relationships with Shelters often provide updates on the animals they have helped, reinforcing the benefits ofthepartnership. ' Please note that most Rescues, Shelters, and SPCA affiliate do NOT pay a fee when they take on the responsibility and any veterinary/housing costs of re-homing a Shelter's homeless,animal(s). - 30 1 3